Like most things, obituaries have changed as decades pass.

Including a gay partner or spouse is acceptable in today's obituaries, but animals will probably be cropped from photographs.

Each newspaper is different in its obituary style and policies while still staying loyal to fundamental standards established by The Associated Press Stylebook.

Employees at local funeral homes, typically a family-operated trade, tend to notice these changes, but only by looking back.

Thompson-Miller Funeral Home in Butler keeps permanent records of obituaries and other important information. The Butler funeral home's records date back to 1923.

Robin Miller of Thompson-Miller said putting obituaries together with emotional family members can be hard, but they've developed and evolved methods to make it easier.

“We want to make it simple,” Miller said.

She said when she was a child, she used to listen to her father, Richard, convey the information on the telephone.

“I could hear him on the phone, reading (the obituaries,)” she said.

Miller said the evolution of the Internet and e-mail has made the exchanges more accurate and timely, which give them more time to spend consoling the family. She said the transfer to the newsroom took 15 to 30 minutes in the past, but now only takes seconds.

Speed and accuracy may be important to newspapers, but for customers, price is important too.

Chad Geibel of Geibel Funeral Home in Butler said he is the fourth-generation Geibel to run the family business, and he has been working at the funeral home for 25 years.

Geibel said newspapers were more strict about what material could make their edits, but they are more lenient now, mainly because of a change in pricing.

Geibel said in the past he has seen some policies that folded. One policy included additional charges based on category of information.

Geibel said the size of the category didn't matter, which became a problem with some customers. He said those who listed one club or organization paid the same as those who listed a dozen.

Geibel said freedom is the biggest change.

He said by-the-line pricing and a flat-fee photograph allows more flexible content. He said customers get what they pay for.

“I'm really glad,” he said. “Some of them are in great detail and some of them aren't.”

Geibel said the notices are important for getting service times and information to the public and recording something about the person. He said the obituaries become more personal, like little biographies.

“They tell a story about someone's life,” he said.

Geibel said increased flexibility allows people to write the notices themselves. He said he still handles the transactions with newspapers, adding his own touches to the notices and making sure they publish when needed.

Miller said Thompson-Miller also does not make many changes with the obituaries, but they will try to evoke personality. She said newspapers have changed their wording and structure, which is good and bad.

Miller said the headlines for obituaries published during earlier decades used to read like news headlines rather than the current name-only format.

“They kinda gave something they were involved in, what their occupation was, in the heading,” she said.

Miller said the older headlines gave people a feeling of importance.

In the obituary of Georger J. Mangold, who passed away Oct. 1, 1937, the obituary reads, “The body was removed to Thompson Funeral Home.”

Miller said she felt the new way of writing this is more gentle and considerate, “Arrangements are being handled by Thompson-Miller Funeral Home.”

Miller said obituaries have an important emotional role in the grieving process in addition to their practical uses. She said she would like to see more personal information in obituaries, but they are moving in better directions.

She said it also shares this legacy with the community they belonged to. In a way, that person becomes permanent.

“It tells about the person,” Miller said. “Actually, their legacy.”